‘By pERBERT L. Me- THE SUBJECT Is TREES—not very gram- matical. Seeming bad . grammar or not, the theme will be heard a lot in the couple of years and for many it will be akin to debate titled: - Motherhood—Good orBad? a a ; ° _But not necessarily. There ‘is a middie road and its name is control.. How it will be drawn now concerns 2 group . that Mayor study Derrick. Humphreys - and council have setup. ~~ The ‘how? when? and what? ‘of such contro! will not be known for some little time (provided Council concedes to recom- . mendations the Mayor will present for . consideration, after he receives the advice of the study group). Four years ago a task force was assigned to this area of interest. Kenneth Farquharson, Alan Jessup and the late | Charies Dunham spent seven’ months in “75 to compile a sensible program for tree control complete with recommendations for ac- tion. report’s. ninth paragraph forecast its own recommendations can be filed and forgotten, but not the problem. It is increasing with cvery growing scason and if it is not solved soon it will haunt future Councils.” - Joyte Kilmer said, God can make a tréé” but failed to add that in an erban forest it must have man’s control. And why not, just as hing clse is controlicd today? In that light, bere is more from the “75 report (paraphrased) ... “Older gencrations living in a huge country with generous spaces, regarded residential property as sacrosanct—their own acre with which they had | Properties The proliferation of tall trees with their effects on views, sunlight and property. values is: becoming ‘parts of. the North Shore. at By way of a thoughtful and informative con- . tribution to the debate we are this article from the spring edition of . TALLY HO -- the official. publication of the British ‘& Ares Homeowners. _Associati-_ | on. unalienable fight to do as they pleased. - “This concept has lost its- validity. Cars and factories now may not pollute ats mosphere or water. Noise abatement is in the statutes. Private privilege at public expense is not tolerated. “No longer can it be taken for granted that because citizen owns a residential site he has a God-given right to allow his trees to block natural light or the view of neighbours. “Zoning bylaws govern land usc. Growth of trees.is a land use. “High cost of land has reduced the size of lots. more immediate than big trees on big properties. “We all love our trees and the beauty and privacy offered but permitting in- definitely the continuing. growth of tall trees to block light, sun and views, while creating damp = enclaves promises potential disaster for West Vancouver.” ..-Thoughtful words as viable now as they were then—especially after last year’s growing scazon when alders added 15 feet and firs, five (source: B.C. Hydro line maintenance crews), . 7 More than vista-views are at stake since that report: real estaters now- indicate | ‘concern that trees out of control, not only impeding ~ views that once made certain “properties: prime, are shading some roofs to a degree that moss and rotting is reducing values. The municipal appraiser is beginning to receive requests for lower due to claimed loss of views both from neighbours’ trees and trees on municipal land. Car insurance people are beginning to worry about shaded ‘hill streets retaining black ‘ice long after open streets have melted. Fire , Chief -Evans is concerned for his “response times” in such conditians. 4 The description, urban - forést: we will become in- creasingly conscious of it in the coming months for among the problem's ponderers it has become their apt phrase to illustrate better than any other, this mountainside, sea-bordered environment. We see its flotsam on the beaches, its mountain creek water- courses sometimes out of control, its root.. masses frustrating landscapers, it - atmosph ere laden with moss Small lots with big trees -~ create néighbour problems— spores, its needie-packed floor hazardously dry in summer drought, its lush canopy breeding dense undergrowth when the rains come. And we know we live in a forest, indecd when = an antlered buck and his pair of doe, following a creek down the mountain, stroll our street lanquidly nipping the daffodils; the occasional black bear oxplores = the casement; baldheaded cagles sailplane in search of breakfast; Oregon juncos, grosbecaks, flickers, Stellar's CONTINUED ON PAGE 57 ap-- _praisals, thus tax-reductions;- }- ‘ ‘Page 5S, April li, 1979-NoithShoreNews | Uncommonly Good Skin « skin care system. 3 products, 3 steps, 3 minutes. The skin care regime that is attuned to your skin type by the Clinique Computer. 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